Presence of crown detectors



March 4, 1952 G. P.. STOVUT 2,587,664

PRESENCE OF CROWN DETECTORS Filed Sept. 26, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll lnuu J u SIG/ML 0027 07 March 4, 1952 e. P. STOUT PRESENCE OF CROWN DETECTORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 26. 1947 PMS/7 BUTTOA JTAT/OA GENERATOR m m m m T W & m m P w m G March 4, 1952 e. P. STOUT 2,587,664

PRESENCE OF CROWN DETECTORS Filed Sept. 26, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Pas/1 50770 87/] 770A I erg/gym 07/1/97 570, ems/M TOR L GEORGE muPsTour I EN TOR- Wad/wt M Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRESENCE OF CROWN DETECTORS George Philip Stout, Baltimore, Md. Application September 26, 1947, Serial N 0. 776,369 4 Claims. (Cl. 250-27) The invention relates to crown detectors and Failure of a bottle to receive a cap sometimes has as an object the provision of a device for testoccurs, usually by a defective cap or failure of the ing containers as beverage bottles, to automaticap supply to the capping machine. Such failure cally determine that a capping or crowning mamay result in a single bottle being capless or if chine has functioned properly to cap each conthe cap supply chute becomes jammed, all suctainer passed therethrough. ceeding bottles may be without caps until the It is a further object of the invention to procondition is rectified. vide a device that will cause the actuation of a Devices have been proposed for the present circuit closer or circuit closers upon failure of purpose utilizing a mechanical feeler supported a capping machine to place a cap on any conh adjacent the path of the bottles to contact the tainer passing through the machine. caps (if present) of the passing bottles. A dif- It is a further object of the invention to test ficulty with devices of this character is that the bottles for the presence of a cap without physicapped mouths of the bottles must travel in a cal contact between any part of the testing depath allowing small tolerance in order to secure vice and the cap. proper contact with the feeler.

It is a further object of the invention to pro- In accordance with the present invention, vide a testing device of the character referred to nothing comes into contact with the bottle caps which utilizes a magnetic property of the matein order to evidence their presence. Instead of rial of a crown cap to determine the presence a physical contact, the device of the invention thereof. utilizes the effect of the iron content of the crown It is a further object of the invention to procaps to afiect magnetic flux between poles of a vide a device for testing bottles for the presence special transformer, thus allowing a tolerance of of a cap which device will cause the closure or path well Within that readily secured on a usual opening of an electrical circuit if a cap be abconveyor.

sent, whereby an alarm may be actuated or the To utilize the effect of influence on magnetic capping machine may be stopped or both such flux through the passing crown to sense its presresults may be secured. ence, the invention as shown utilizes a special It is a further object to provide apparatus functransformer comprising a primary and two sectioning to take preliminary action if a cap is ondaries, these secondaries are connected in missing from one bottle as the giving of an alarm; series but reversely wound and so connected that followed by other action if the operation of the normally there is no voltage output when a circapping machine continue to be defective for a cuit is closed through the primary of the transpredetermined length of time. former. The output from the secondaries is Further objects will appear from the followconnected with a network wherein, in the abing description when read in connection with the sence of said output, a vacuum tube becomes conaccompanying drawings showing illustrative emductive to pass current to a relay, a closure of bodiments of the invention and wherein which gives an alarm or takes other measures Figure 1 is a diagrammatic showing of a special to the correction of the capping defect. An outtransformer or sensing device utilized; put from said secondaries in the presence of a Figure 2 is a front view of the structure of cap, where it should be, is utilized to block the Figure 3 omitting the bottle and circuit closer firing of said tube.

arm; In the preferred form of the invention, a spe- Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section on ciai transformer, indicated in Figure 1, is utilized, line 3-3 of Figure 2 showing the apparatus durcomprising an E shaped core with a primary coil ing a test; 22 on the center leg and reversely wound sec- Figure 4 is a diagram of circuits; and ondaries 32 and 31% on the outside legs, and con- Figure 5 is a diagram of circuits of a second nected in series. The legs of the core protrude form showing the timing device for delayed acand. for test the mouth of a bottle that should tion. carry a cap is made to pass between projecting For the purpose of placing caps on bottles, espoles as shown. pecially for use in the beverage industry, bottle In accordance with one form of the invention capping machines are in use to which and from and as shown in Figure 4, a power input is indiwhich bottles are conducted on conveyors, in such sated at 5, controlled by a double pole Switchv l5. amanner that the capping of the bottles is large- The source of energy may be the usual com; 1y-automatic. mercial volt alternating current. A pilot light is indicated at H to indicate the energized condition of the circuit. Fuses l8 and I9 are provided to protect the system. Wires and 2| are shown connected to the two sides of the source of energy, and the primary 22 of the special transformer is shown as connected between wires 20 and 21.

Also connected between the wires 20 and 2| is a Wire 26' including a fixed resistance 23 and a variable resistance or potentiometer 24 functioning as a bias resistor. A wire 25 is shown leading from wire 2| to the cathode 26 of a filamentless or cold cathode three element gas tube 21, the anode (or plate) 28 of which is connected through the coil 29 of a relay to the wire 26.

To quiet the operation of the relay a filter, comprising capacity 39 and a current limiting resistance 3 I, is placed in shunt with the relay coil.

The reversely wound series connected secondaries 32 and 33 of the transformer are shown as connected from the adjustable element 34 of the potentiometer 24 through switch 35 to the grid 36 of tube 21. The switch 35 is the bottle position switch, it being closed by the bottle during the checking operation.

To connect the devices so far described to a power source, to an alarm or to a motor control circuit, and to enable a change of controls, terminals 31- are shown which may be located on the outside of a cabinet.

Terminals 31 and 3B are for connection to a power source. Terminals 39 and 46 and also 43 and 44 are substitutes for switches, being shown as connected by jumpers 45 and 41, respectively, which may be removed in changing the manner of use of the apparatus.

It will be seen that with no crown present between the projecting cores of the transformer at one side thereof, when the switch 35 is closed (by the presence of a bottle) the secondaries will neutralize each other and there will be no output from the transformer as such because of the equal and opposite currents induced in secondaries 32, 33 by the primary 22. In this case, sufficient voltage will be applied to the grid 36 from wire 2!, a part of resistance 24, coils 32, 33 closed switch 35 to the grid to cause the tube to be conductive. The current through the conductive tube from wire 2 I, 25, the tube, coil 29 to wire 25 will cause coil 29 to close contacts 52 and thus providing a path from wire 20 to terminal 44, jumper 41, contact 55 terminal 4!, an alarm, terminal 45 to wire 2!. The conductive condition of the tube will be preserved from wire 48 through 49, jumper 46 normally closed reset switch 55, wires 5| relay contacts 52 wire 54 current limiting resistance 53 until switch 56 is opened. This is the condition when jumpers 46 and 41 are in place and an alarm is connected between terminals 4| and 45. On the other hand, with a normally capped bottle considerably more voltage is produced in leg 32 of the special transformer (due to the better magnetic path) than in leg 33, the net result is a voltage that is of opposite phase to that produced from the resistor networks 23 and 24. This voltage subtracts from the voltage normally present at slider 34 on' the potentiometer and is of such magnitude that the cold cathode tube does not fire. Thus the only moving part for normal bottles is the bottle feeler switch 35.

'If it be desired to cause this circuit to control the drive motor of a machine, the jumpers 46 and 47 will be removed and the circuit of the motor will be connected to terminals 42 and 43.

-Then when the tube 21 is conductive, the relay 29 will break the motor control circuit at contacts 55, in which case the motor will stop. The motor is re-started in the usual way by pushing the start button, as when the bad bottle clears the crown detector contacts 55 again restore the motor stop'circuit.

In the form of Figure 5, a second cold cathode tube 56 is shown connected by a wire 51, to a contact of synchronous timer 58 which has two sets of contacts. One, 59, switches the sensing device from tube 21 to tube 56 on a very slight time delay, while the other in series with Reset switch 56, recycles the unit after a predetermined number of seconds.

With the switch 6f in the position shown and with an alarm connected to terminals 4| and 45, the device will function as does the circuit of Figure 4 with the jumpers 46 and 41 in place.

With the switch 6! in the alternate or closed position, firing of tube 2? will actuate relay 29 and through contacts 55 will energize the time switch 58 over wires 52 and 63. The alarm will be actuated through normally open contact 55 also. Tube 56 will now be in condition of looking for a second bad bottle to occur within a predetermined time determined by the time switch (due to contacts 59 transferring sensing device to this second tube). Should the condition of the capless bottles not persist, the time switch will open switch 66 stopping the alarm, and recycling the unit. Should the second bottle without a crown appear before the switch 66 is opened, tube 55 will fire actuating relay 29 to open contacts 64 (connected to terminals 6566 momentarily opening the stop circuit of the magnetic switch controlling the motor) and stop the drive motor of the machine.

It will be seen from the above description that the device of Figure 5 as outlined is so arranged that it can sound an alarm for superficial trouble, and stop the bottling operation instantly should serious crowning difiiculties develop. This is highly desirable from the standpoint of production.

Instead of the special transformer shown, it will be obvious that two separate transformers of a usual type may be used, the crown being moved between projecting core ends of one transformer and the change of voltage may be produced in the remaining transformer. Or any source of voltage may be utilized and neutralized by the crown testing transformer.

It is obvious that two reversely wound primaries may be placed on the outside legs of the transformers with a single secondary on the center leg, to provide substantially zero output of the secondary when no crown is present.

Minor changes may be made in the physical embodiments of the invention within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1

I claim:

1. Apparatus for testing the mouths of con-.- tainers to determine the presence of a closure having content of magnetic material comprising, in combination: transformer means including a core positioned to permit passage adjacent thereto of the mouths of containers tobe tested for the presence of a closure, a primary winding energized from an associated power source, and a secondary winding associated therewith; a switch closed when a container is in testing position; and a network connected to said secondary winding through said switch, including: a nor- 5 mally non-conducting vacuum tube controlling, when conducting, a subsidiary circuit, and a bias resistor for said tube energized from said associated power source, the voltage in said secondary winding being balanced in said network against a voltage derived from said bias resistor to maintain said tube non-conducting when a capped container passes adjacent to said transformer core and being unbalanced in said network against a voltage derived from said resistor when an uncapped container passes adjacent to said transformer core to render said tube conducting and control said subsidiary circuit.

2. Apparatus for testing the mouths of containers to determine the presence of a closure having content of magnetic material comprising, in combination: transformer means including a core positioned to permit passage adjacent thereto of the mouths of containers to be tested for a closure, 2. primary winding energized from an associated power source, and a secondary winding associated therewith; a switch closed when a container is in testing position; and a network connected to said secondary winding through said switch including: a bias resistor energized from said associated power source, a timed circuit closer, a first normally non-conducting vacuum tube, anda second normally non-conducting vacuum tube, the voltage output of said secondary being balanced in said network against the voltage derived from said bias resistor to maintain said first tube non-conducting when a capped container passes adjacent to said transformer core and being unbalanced thereby rendering said first tube conducting and controlling said timed circuit closer when an uncapped container passes adjacent to said transformer core to temporarily connect said second tube in said network, whereby an unbalance in said network between said secondary winding output voltage and said bias resistor voltage occurring when a second uncapped container passes adjacent to said transformer core renders said second tube conducting to control a subsidiary circuit, said timed circuit closer upon the occurrence of a predetermined time delay between the passage of the first and second uncapped containers automatically operating to reconnect said first tube and disconnect said second tube.

3. Apparatus for testing the mouths of containers to determine the presence of a closure having content of magnetic material comprising, in combination: transformer means including a core, a primary winding energized from an associated power source and a secondary winding asso- 6 ciated therewith; and a network connected to said secondary winding including: a bias resistor energized from said associated power source, a timed circuit closer, a first and a second vacuum tube controlling subsidiary circuits when conducting, said timed circuit closer operating to disconnect the first and connect the second of said tubes to said secondary upon the occurrence of an uncapped container condition, and reconnect the first of said tubes to said secondary upon the discontinuance of said condition during a predetermined time, said second tube being rendered conductive upon the continuance of said condition during said predetermined time to control a subsidiary circuit.

4. Apparatus for testing the mouth of containers to determine the presence of a closure, comprising in combination: a sensing transformer having a core, primary and secondary windings associated therewith; two vacuum tubes controlling subsidiary circuits when operative; and a timed circuit closer operating to disconnect the first and connect the second of said tubes to said secondary upon the occurrence of an uncapped container condition, and reconnect the first of said tubes to said secondary upon the discontinuance of said condition during a predetermined time, said second tube being operative to control a subsidiary circuit upon the continuance of said condition during said predetermined time.

GEORGE PHILIP STOUT.

PJJFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,957,222 Mershon May 1, 1934 1,983,388 Moore Dec. 4, 1934 2,065,118 Davis Dec. 22, 1936 2,124,410 Cockrell July 19, 1938 2,125,630 Gooding Aug. 2, 1938 2,219,885 Barnes et a1 Oct. 29, 1940 2,228,294 Wurzbach Jan. 14, 1941 2,237,254 Broekhuysen Apr. 1, 1941 2,318,923 Clark May 11, 1943 2,341,351 Barkley Feb. 8, 1944 2,357,512 Gaiser Sept. 5, 1944 2,388,812 Albin Nov. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 284,307 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1929 

